Willie Nelson

† — In addition to topping the country chart, Always On My Mind also reached #2 on the Billboard's Top Pop Album chart, which is quite an accomplishment for a country album. Pretty Women. Nelson has released dozens of albums under a number of different labels; these are some of his most notable accomplishments. Bolded albums reached #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. (Please add your own obscure personal favorite). Its soundboard has been signed over the years by over a hundred of Nelson's friends and associates, from fellow musicians to lawyers and football coaches. (all chart positions are from Billboard pop charts). Constant strumming over the decades has worn a large sweeping hole into the guitar's body near the sound hole.
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Nelson's principal guitar is a Martin acoustic, which he has named "Trigger", after Roy Rogers' horse. At the direction of his second wife, Roy Orbison was interred December 15th, 1988 in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, California even though his two sons and their mother, Claudette, who predeceased him, had been laid to rest at his request in the Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee. They tour North America in their bus, the "Honeysuckle Rose II". He was the posthumous winner of the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and in 1992, the popular "I Drove All Night" and "Heartbreak Radio" appeared on the posthumous album, King Of Hearts, produced by Jeff Lynne. Nelson's touring and recording group is a collection of a number of long-standing members, including his sister Bobbie Nelson, longtime drummer Paul English, Bee Spears, and Jody Payne. Both the album and the single from it, "You Got It", were hits, and are generally regarded as Orbison's best work since his success of the 1950s and 1960s. It won an award for "Best Video" at the Academy of Country Music Awards held on May 26, 2004. Several years after having had bypass surgury, Orbison suffered a massive heart attack at age 52 and died while visiting at his mother's home in Hendersonville a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee on December 6, 1988 before his last album Mystery Girl could be released.

This song was released as a single in 2003 and Nelson shot a video with Keith in 2003. Tragedy would strike again, when, in 1973, Orbison's elder brother Grady Lee Orbison, died in a motor vehicle accident in Henderson, Tennessee when on his way to visit Roy for Thanksgiving. Willie Nelson performed a duet on "Beer for my Horses" with Toby Keith on Keith's Unleashed album released in 2002. These events affected him profoundly but after a few years he would continue to play to loyal audiences all across the globe. An attached note read "Stand your ground.". The youngest boy, Wesley, at the time only three, was saved by Roy's parents. During the 2003 Texas Congressional Redistricting Controversy, Nelson made the news by sending a case of whiskey to the Democrats of the Texas Legislature in self-imposed exile in Ardmore, Oklahoma. His first wife, Claudette (Frady), died in a 1966 motorcycle accident. (The Everly Brothers hit "Claudette" had been written about her, by Roy.) Two years later, the family home at Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, Tennessee burned to the ground while Roy was touring in England, and two of his three young sons, Anthony and Roy Jr., died in the fire.

He has been featured in recent advertisements for a variety of products and companies, including The Gap. Roy Orbison's life was filled with personal tragedies. His image is marked by his red hair, often braided into two ponytails and partially concealed under a bandana. He subsequently released a new solo album, Mystery Girl, produced by Orbison & Mike Campbell (of the Heartbreakers), Jeff Lynne and one track by U2's Bono (who copies Orbison's trademark dark glasses). His distinctive music sometimes takes a backseat to his public image, that of a marijuana smoking old hippie troubadour. Shortly after this critically acclaimed performance, whilst working with Jeff Lynne on tracks for a new album, Orbison joined Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty to form the Traveling Wilburys, achieving substantial commercial and critical success. Willie Nelson is widely recognized as an American icon. lang, Jennifer Warnes, and Bonnie Raitt singing the female background vocals.

The fuel is made from vegetable oils, mainly soybeans, and can be burned without modification to diesel engines [1] (http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,66288,00.html). Souther, Steven Soles, with k.d. Nelson and three business partners recently (2005) formed a company called Willie Nelson's Biodiesel that is marketing biofuel to truck stops. On piano, Glen Hardin, who had played piano for Buddy Holly as well as for years for Elvis Presley, plus male background vocals with some on guitar, were: Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, J.D. In 2004, he released Outlaws & Angels, featuring guests Toby Keith, Joe Walsh, Merle Haggard, Kid Rock, Al Green, Shelby Lynne, Carole King, Toots Hibbert, Ben Harper, Lee Ann Womack, The Holmes Brothers, Los Lonely Boys, Lucinda Williams, Keith Richards and Rickie Lee Jones. Put together by musical director, T-Bone Burnett, Orbison was accompanied by a who's who supporting cast, all fans, and all volunteers who lobbied to participate. A star-studded television special celebrating his 70th birthday aired in 2003. Described as a cinematographic masterpiece, that year's black and white Cinemax television special titled Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night, brought Orbison a whole new generation of fans.

Nelson received Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. In 1980 he teamed up with Emmylou Harris to win the 1981 Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for their song, "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again." He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, the induction speech made by his devout follower Bruce Springsteen. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson has toured continuously and released albums that generally received mixed reviews, with the exception of 1998's critically acclaimed Teatro. Adopted by intensely loyal fans in Ireland, where he continued to perform despite the constant terrorist activities, his powerful rendition of the ancient Irish folk ballad "Danny Boy" on the 1972 Memphis album is considered one of the best recordings ever made of this much-recorded song. He released Across the Borderline in 1993, with guests Bob Dylan, Sinéad O'Connor, David Crosby, Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson and Paul Simon. Much loved in Belgium, at an awards ceremony in Antwerp, a few days before his passing, Roy Orbison gave his only public rendition of the hit "You Got It" to the thundering applause of a huge crowd. His debts were paid by 1993. Adoring fans in the Netherlands founded his largest world-wide fan club.

Many of his assets were auctioned and purchased by friends, who gave his possessions back to him or rented them at a nominal fee. In France he was viewed as the master of the ballad of lost love in the vein of that country's most popular singer Edith Piaf and a cover version of Orbison's "Blue Bayou" sung in French by Mireille Mathieu went to the top of France's record charts. He released The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories? as a double album, with all profits going straight to the IRS. His popularity extended to Germany, and he recorded his hit song "Mama" in German. In 1990, the IRS gave Nelson a bill for $16.7 million in back taxes and took away most of his assets to help pay the charges. A few songs that had only reasonable success in North America, such as "Penny Arcade" and "Working for the Man" would go to #1 on the Australian charts. Similarly, he was enormously popular in England, logging three No.1 hit singles and was several times voted top male vocalist of the year. He also became known for his financial excesses, including a private jet, his own small town, a palatial estate, and a private golf course. Roy Orbison first toured Australia with the Rolling Stones in 1963 and would build a devout following there.

He became more and more involved in charity work, such as establishing the Farm Aid concerts in 1985. Singer Sonny James would have a number 1 hit on the country music charts with a cover of Orbison's "Only The Lonely". In spite of their unexpectedly massive successes, including platinum record sales and worldwide touring, Nelson's popularity declined dramatically. A number of other artists have recorded songs written by Orbison, including the Everly Brothers, Don Gibson, Linda Ronstadt, Don McLean, Mireille Mathieu, Chris Isaak, Dwight Yoakam, and Van Halen. In the mid 1980s, Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash formed a group called The Highwaymen. As well, his hit song "In Dreams" was used extensively in the David Lynch film Blue Velvet (Lynch also featured a Spanish version of "Crying" in his film, Mulholland Drive.). There were also more popular albums, including Pancho and Lefty (1982, with Merle Haggard), WWII (1982, with Waylon Jennings) and Take it to the Limit (1983, with Waylon Jennings). Named for his song, the music was integral to the movie that brought fame to actress Julia Roberts.

The eighties saw a series of hit singles: "Always on my Mind" (originally made popular by Elvis Presley), "On The Road Again" from the movie Honeysuckle Rose, and "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (a duet with Julio Iglesias). Roy Orbison wrote and recorded numerous songs specifically for motion pictures and many of his hit songs became part of motion picture soundtracks, the most famous of which is the blockbuster film Pretty Woman. He has continued acting since his early successes, but usually in smaller roles and cameos, a good example being Half Baked. In 1966 Orbison signed a contract with MGM Records and starred in MGM Studios' western-musical motion picture The Fastest Guitar Alive in which he would perform several songs from an album of the same name. Nelson began acting, appearing in The Electric Horseman (1979), Honeysuckle Rose (1980), Red-Headed Stranger (1986, with Morgan Fairchild), and the 1986 TV movie Stagecoach (with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson). The smash hit record sold more copies in its first ten days of release than any 45rpm up to that time and would go on to sell more than seven million copies. Though most observers predicted that Stardust would ruin his career, it ended up being one of his most successful LPs. Even as the British Invasion swept America in 1964, Orbison's single "Oh, Pretty Woman" broke the Beatles' stranglehold on the Top 10, soaring to number 1 on the Billboard charts.

Jones. When they finally decided to try America, they asked Orbison to manage their first tour but his own schedule forced him to turn down what was to become an astounding success. In 1978, Nelson released two more platinum albums, Waylon and Willie (a collaboration with Jennings that included one of Nelson's signature songs, "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys") and Stardust, an unusual, string-based album of pop songs produced by Booker T. During their tour of Europe, an impressed Roy Orbison encouraged The Beatles to come to the United States. Nelson continued to top the charts with hit songs during the late 1970s, including "Good Hearted Woman" (a duet with Jennings), "Remember Me", "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time", "Uncloudy Day", "I Love You a Thousand Ways" and "Something to Brag About" (a duet with Mary Kay Place). A powerful influence on his contemporaries such as The Rolling Stones, in 1963 Roy Orbison headlined a European tour with The Beatles, becoming lifelong friends with the band, in particular with John Lennon and George Harrison (Orbison would later record with them both). The term was coined by a country music journalist, and cemented with the release of Wanted: The Outlaws! (1976 with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser), country music's first platinum album. Multiple Academy Award winning songwriter Will Jennings ("My Heart Will Go On", from the Titanic soundtrack), called him a "poet, a songwriter, a vision" after working and together writing Roy's song "Wild Hearts" for the 1985 motion picture, Insignificance.

Along with Nelson, Waylon Jennings was also achieving massive success in country music in the early 1970s, and the pair were soon combined into a genre called outlaw country ("outlaw" because it did not conform to Nashville standards). Elvis Presley called Roy "the greatest singer in the world" (from onstage in Las Vegas, in 1976), Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees referred to Orbison as the "Voice of God". The result was the critically acclaimed, massively popular concept album, Red Headed Stranger (1975). Though Columbia was reluctant to release an album with mostly just a guitar and piano for accompaniment, Nelson (with the assistance of Waylon Jennings) insisted and the album was a huge hit, partially because it included a popular cover of "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" (Roy Acuff). In 1989, Roy Orbison was inducted posthumously into the National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame. Nelson then moved to Columbia Records, where he was given complete creative control over his work. Three songs written and recorded by Orbison, "Only The Lonely", "Oh, Pretty Woman", and "Crying", are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Phases and Stages (1974), a concept album inspired by his divorce, included two hit singles, "Bloody Mary Morning" and "After the Fire is Gone". Roy Orbison's vocal range was impressive (he had a three octave range) and his songs were melodically and rhythmically advanced and lyrically sophisticated.

Signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson released Shotgun Willie (1973), which won excellent reviews but did not sell well. Master record producer and Orbison fan Don Was, commenting on Orbison's writing skills, said: "he defied the rules of modern composition." Songwriter Bernie Taupin (composer of many lyrics for Elton John) and others, referred to Orbison as far ahead of the times, creating lyrics and music in a manner that broke with all traditions. A lifelong passion for running and a new commitment to his own health also began during this period. Orbison is most remembered for his ballads of lost love, and within the music community, he is revered for his song writing abilities. His popularity in Austin soared, as he played his own brand of country music marked by rock and roll, jazz, western swing, and folk influences. The play of Orbison's voice against the dynamic yet uncluttered sound of the band gave Orbison's records a unique, identifiable sound. While in Austin, with its burgeoning hippie music scene (see Armadillo World Headquarters), Nelson decided to return to music. Throughout Orbison's stay at Monument Records, his backup band was a group of all-star studio musicians led by Bob Moore.

In 1965, Nelson moved to RCA Records and joined the Grand Ole Opry, followed by a series of minor hits. Frustrated with the music business which tried to force him into a mold, Nelson retired and moved to Austin, Texas. With the release of "Only The Lonely", and its immediate rise to the top of the charts, Roy Orbison would go on to become an international rock and roll star. His alcoholism, failed day jobs, and penchant for carrying guns got him in trouble with the law and his wife a number of times. Under Foster's guidance, Orbison began writing his own songs alone or in collaboration with Joe Melson, and later Bill Dees, developing his signature operatic voice, and creating a sound unheard of in Rock and Roll at the time. His personal life during this period was also colorful, to say the least. There, Fred Foster, the record company's head, encouraged him to break from his established style. Demo recordings from his years as a songwriter for Pamper Music were later discovered and released as Crazy: The Demo Sessions (2003). But the rockabilly and blues sounds of Sun's artists did not bring Orbison much success and his career seemed over until he signed with Monument Records in Nashville, Tennessee.

He was unable to keep his momentum going, though, and Nelson's career ground to a halt. Many of the earliest songs he recorded were produced by Sam Phillips. Nelson signed with Liberty Records in 1961 and released several singles, including the hits "Willingly" (with his wife, Shirley Collie) and "Touch Me". There, Roy Orbison (along with Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley) recorded for Sam Phillips. "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Billy Walker), "Hello Walls" (Faron Young), "Pretty Paper" (Roy Orbison) and, most famously, "Crazy" (Patsy Cline) became popular songs in the 1960s. In 1955 Orbison left college, determined to give music a serious try. With a new band named "The Teen Kings", he headed for Memphis, Tennessee and to Sun Records. While playing with Ray Price & the Cherokee Cowboys, many of Nelson's songs became hits. Recognizing that a career in music was a long shot, after graduating high school the group disbanded and Roy Orbison went to North Texas State College.

After Ray Price recorded Nelson's "Night Life" (reputedly the most covered country song of all time), Nelson joined Price's touring band as a bassist. At age 13 he organized his first band, "The Wink Westerners," and when not singing with the band he spent his time playing guitar and writing songs. He did, however, receive a publishing contract at Pamper Music. Neither are correct, although his myopia required thick corrective lenses. Nelson moved to Nashville, Tennessee but was unable to land a record label contract. Two misconceptions stubbornly continue to surface about Roy, one, that "he was an albino", and two, that he wore his trademark dark glasses because "he was blind" or nearly so. Nelson continued to DJ and sing in clubs, and sold a song called "Family Bible" for fifty dollars; the song was a hit for Claude Gray in 1960, has been covered widely, and is often considered a gospel music classic. Born in Vernon, Texas, he was raised in the tiny oil town of Wink, Texas, with music a part of his family life.

The single sold respectably but did not establish a career. Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) nicknamed "the big O" was an influential American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll whose recording career spanned more than thirty years. In 1956, Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington to begin a musical career by recording "Lumberjack" by Leon Payne. [1965] "There is only one Roy Orbison". Eventually, he became a DJ at a country radio station in Fort Worth, Texas, while singing locally in honky tonk bars. King of Hearts. After graduation, Nelson joined the Air Force, but left due to back problems. 1992: